As for Lan Fuzi, the encounter in the depths of the ocean trench two years ago left a deep impression on her.
Back then, she was searching for fragments of divinity in the abyssal depths with some ancient deep-sea demon whales, when she saw a red-level mecha master and a young man coming to train.
At first, she was just amazed at the diversity of humans, that they would come to such a deadly place to train their bodies, and she didn't pay much attention to the potential threat they might pose.
After all, being the daughter of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King and the Demon Empress, her innate talents, bloodline, and resources were top-notch. With over a hundred thousand years of cultivation and spiritual realm-level mental power, she had already surpassed the 90,000-year mark in cultivation.
That 94th-level titled Douluo, even though he was a red-level mecha master, was still within her managing range in her eyes. (Mu Ye: Believe it or not, I can beat you into a vegetable with my four-word battle armor?)
But when she discovered that Huo Yuhao had found the divinity fragment one step ahead of a ten-thousand-year deep-sea demon whale, she was quite surprised.
Was it a coincidence? Or was there something unusual about this human?
When Huo Yuhao peeked in her hidden direction and revealed the "Dragon God's Aura," she was certain that this young man was not ordinary. Out of caution, she did not snatch the divinity fragment from his hand but temporarily avoided Huo Yuhao and Mu Ye.
It wasn't until they left the abyssal depths that she returned to explore again, searching for any missed divinity fragments. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be found. The only fragment that had appeared was in Huo Yuhao's hands, which frustrated her to no end.
Her mother, the Demon Empress, had gradually gone mad since her father, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, was killed by the Sea God Tang San twenty thousand years ago.
She fights humans and the sea soul beasts that worshiped the Sea God, vowing to take revenge on all humans and sea soul beasts to make the Sea God Tang San suffer.
Ten thousand years ago, while her mother was wreaking havoc in the sea near the Sea God Island, she encountered the evil soul masters of the Holy Spirit Sect.
Using the temptation of resurrecting her father, they gradually calmed her down and she joined the Holy Spirit Sect.
In the early years, she remained hidden in the shadows as a counterbalance to the strong forces of the Holy Spirit Sect.
It was only after the Holy Spirit Sect was severely damaged by the Sun Moon Empire and the Spirit Ice Douluo that she gradually stepped into the spotlight and took control of the Holy Spirit Sect.
However, the desire for destruction always lingered... or perhaps her mother had already gone mad long ago, driven by the obsession of revenge and resurrecting her father.
The divinity fragments were one way to reduce her mother's madness.
They signified something wrong with the Sea God and could soothe her emotions to some extent.
Moreover, absorbing divinity fragments requires a certain amount of time, during which her mother would not go on a killing spree.
She still remembers her mother's ecstatic expression when she first obtained the Sea God's divinity fragment: "Sea God Tang San, you have fallen to this day, haha! I will use your power to further destroy this world."
Lan Fuzi didn't want the Demon Empress to continue to fall into hatred, but she had no way to stop it. Now that she had a "not a solution," she naturally worked hard at it.
Over the years, she had been helping her mother collect those fragments. Two years ago, she finally found one, but it fell into the hands of a not-so-simple human, and she was even scared off by him... How could she remain calm?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. The more she endured, the more she felt she was at a loss. Lan Fuzi simply took this as an opportunity to make her way into the Douluo Continent.
In the Douluo Continent, there were also those who collected divinity fragments. Since divine objects conceal themselves, divinity fragments could fall into the hands of ordinary people.
After collecting for so many years in the sea, the Sea God's divinity fragments were becoming fewer and fewer. It was better to go to the mainland and see.
As for Huo Yuhao's fragment... Considering his abnormality, she decided to plan carefully and act only after understanding him.
Thus, she entered the human world, disguised as a mecha maker without displaying too much strength. Due to various factors, she joined the Spirit Pagoda and even met many of its high-ranking officials.
With the methods given to her by the Holy Spirit Sect and her mother, the high-ranking officials didn't notice her true situation. She thought Huo Yuhao wouldn't be able to either, but she didn't expect...
"Why did he find out?"
Lan Fuzi stood frozen in place, her blue hair messy and clinging to her delicate face. Her porcelain-like skin was now even paler, and her deep sea-like eyes trembled violently, with long eyelashes casting uneasy shadows under them.
One guess after another rose in her heart, finally settling on the most terrifying possibility she had imagined in the past, if it wasn't a coincidence that he obtained the Sea God's divinity fragment, then he...
Huo Yuhao looked at the stiff Lan Fuzi, squinted his eyes, and didn't speak immediately.
Lan Fuzi, a deep-sea demon whale with over a hundred thousand years of cultivation, was kind-hearted, the daughter of the Demon Empress and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
A tragic figure in every sense, she fell in love with the son of her father's murderer.
After the Abyss Saint Emperor used her mother's body to descend, he even killed her. In the original story, she was the last deep-sea demon whale... Although she didn't appear much, the word "tragic" seemed engraved on her.
But her tragedy wasn't the main point. (Lan Fuzi: ...)
The main point is that her mother was the Demon Empress, the supreme leader of the Holy Spirit Sect, and Lan Fuzi herself was a member of the Holy Spirit Sect.
Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Lan Fuzi, who dared not raise her head, and said in a low voice:
"Thinking about why I could see through your identity after only meeting once? Instead of overthinking, why not ask the deity of your Holy Spirit Sect."
The moment the words "Holy Spirit Sect" and "deity" were spoken, Lan Fuzi felt as if she was struck by lightning, her body trembling violently. While secretly regretting, she immediately knelt on one knee and respectfully said:
"Greetings, respected God! Two years ago, thanks to your mercy, you spared me. There were many rude actions during our two meetings, please forgive me!"
According to her mother's speculation, the Sea God's divinity fragments could only be detected by those at the divine realm level or those who had understood the corresponding laws. From the surface, Huo Yuhao didn't seem to fit either.
But as a member of the Holy Spirit Sect and the daughter of the Demon Empress, Lan Fuzi knew that the Holy Spirit Sect had a divine consciousness from the divine realm.
So, could the divine consciousness worshiped by the Holy Spirit Sect be the only one who descended to this world? The inexplicable aura, the penetrating gaze, the knowledge of the divinity fragment's secrets, the casual attitude towards the Holy Spirit Sect's deities in his words... There could only be one explanation.
For a moment, Lan Fuzi felt her back turn cold, and even breathing became difficult.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao looked at Lan Fuzi without any change in expression, his heart calm.
When you're in this world, your identity is ultimately what you make it yourself.
"I ask, you answer."
Huo Yuhao seemed not to care about Lan Fuzi's expression and thoughts, nor whether she would answer, just coldly said, "To what extent has it recovered?"
Hearing this, Lan Fuzi's heart calmed down, and she became more certain of her guess. The bitter smile on her lips deepened, "I don't know. Matters of deities are not something I can know in detail."
She wasn't lying. Although her mother's status gave her the ability to act freely within the Holy Spirit Sect, she didn't like it there and never participated in the sect's actions. Naturally, the higher-ups didn't reveal much information to her.
Huo Yuhao corrected her, "That blood-eyed evil soul master was the same. It seems it hid quite well."
Lan Fuzi orchid swallowed.
Blood-eyed... Did it leak information about the deity? The Holy Spirit Sect's methods of sealing important information from its members might not even be decipherable by a quasi-deity... The person in front of her was indeed a deity, with methods beyond her imagination.
No wonder the Holy Spirit Sect's information was leaked like this.
Fortunately, she didn't lie, or the consequences would have been unpredictable.
However, from the tone of this deity, he didn't seem to care about the Holy Spirit Sect's deity. It was more like he was confirming the extent of its recovery... Was he planning something? Did these deities in the divine realm also have enemies among themselves?
Lan Fuzi's thoughts suddenly stopped, and she sobbed secretly.
Now, the most important thing is how to survive.
She secretly sneaked up and saw that Huo Yuhao didn't continue questioning. Various thoughts of resistance flashed through her mind, but they were all dismissed. In this heavily guarded Spirit Pagoda, his status as a reserved Spirit Envoy gave him an obvious advantage. Moreover... if it really was a divine consciousness taking over, any resistance would be futile.
'What to do? What is this deity's stance? How will he deal with me? If he asks about the divinity fragment and why I joined the Spirit Pagoda, how should I answer?'
Just as her thoughts were in chaos, Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on her again. His eyes were as deep as a cold pool, seemingly able to see through all her thoughts.
"From now on, just follow my orders and leave."
"Huh?" Lan Fuzi subconsciously let out a soft sound, then hurriedly covered her mouth. Her lively eyes were full of disbelief, even her long eyelashes trembled slightly.
Huo Yuhao slightly raised an eyebrow, "Are my words hard to understand?"
"No, I... I understand, my lord!"
Lan Fuzi said from the heart.
She felt she could no longer understand this person.
The only thing he cares about is the Holy Spirit Sect's deity? He didn't care about the divinity fragment, the Holy Spirit Sect, or her situation?
But then she thought again and felt relieved.
For a true deity, what else could be worth caring about or scheming for except matters related to deities?
Perhaps the entire Holy Spirit Sect was just a joke to him.
'But why did he bring me close to him? To find a chance to escape? No, I can't. How do I know he didn't leave something on me...'
"Yuhao, the tea is ready," a cold voice came from the restroom in the room, interrupting Lan Fuzi's thoughts.
She saw the side door open, and Gu Yuena walked out with a delicate tea set. Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her purple eyes shimmered with starlight. Every move she made exuded an otherworldly aura.
Lan Fuzi was first surprised by Gu Yuena's appearance, almost feeling a crush, then remembered she was just in the next room and felt a wave of shock.
Wait, could she be...
Gu Yuena seemed to notice her gaze, her purple eyes turning slightly, and with a casual glance, Lan Fuzi felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. An invisible pressure emanated from Gu Yuena, suppressing her bloodline, and she quickly lost the strength to stand.
"You found an interesting subordinate," Gu Yuena's voice was like a celestial melody, but it carried an unapproachable majesty. She lightly tapped her finger, and a silver light silently entered Lan Fuzi's body.
Lan Fuzi was horrified to find she couldn't resist this silver light at all.
Huo Yuhao took the teacup and slightly smiled, "The Holy Spirit Sect has its divine consciousness. Keeping her might be useful."
Hearing this, Gu Yuena's purple eyes flashed with a trace of nostalgia, and she slightly tapped the edge of the teacup.
"Those remnants from the divine realm war are indeed good at hiding. But now that the divine realm is far away, we can take our time dealing with them."
Lan Fuzi stiffened, finally understanding her situation.
Although it was just a few words, she could feel something different.
There was a war in the divine realm, divine artifacts, divine consciousness, and divinity fragments fell into the Douluo Continent, and the disappearance of the divine realm was related to this. These two deities in front of her were likely the victors of that war!
Perhaps it was they who led the divine realm war, and now the Douluo Continent will be stirred up again because of these deities...
Gu Yuena looked at Lan Fuzi, her beautiful smile making Lan Fuzi's hair stand on end, "Don't worry, although the Sea God is my enemy, as long as you behave... I won't trouble a mere sea soul beast."
These words made Lan Fuzi completely despaired, she was indeed facing two deities who had transcended the mortal world.
When Lan Fuzi walked out of the room in a daze, the corridor of the Spirit Pagoda seemed to spin around her. She leaned against the wall, her nails digging into her palm.
What kind of sacred place for soul masters was the Spirit Pagoda? It was clearly a chessboard for deities! And she had unknowingly become the smallest pawn in this game...
"I shouldn't have joined the Spirit Pagoda for the sake of having a way out when exposed..."
In the corridor, a deep sigh echoed.
...
After Lan Fuzi left, Gu Yuena couldn't help but laugh, "Yuhao, this was quite fun."
Playing the role of a deity with Huo Yuhao to scare a deep-sea demon whale was a novel experience... although she was already a deity herself and didn't need to act.
Huo Yuhao sat on the chair, "You didn't need to act so seriously. She already believed it. Overdoing it isn't good."
"I wanted to experience the feeling of scaring someone like you did to me before," Gu Yuena said, suddenly leaning closer to Huo Yuhao, her warm breath brushing his ear, "You must have secretly enjoyed fooling me, right?"
Huo Yuhao's breathing momentarily became erratic from her sudden movement, but quickly calmed down. He tucked a strand of her silver hair behind her ear and helplessly cried, "No, I was more relieved. The pressure you gave me isn't small... A real deity, the ruler of soul beasts, no one dares to say they could face you easily."
Gu Yuena looked at him for a moment, then smiled, "No matter what, I will never harm you. You're just scaring yourself..."
Here, Gu Yuena stopped and changed the topic, "Was she the one you prepared two years ago?"
Those words weren't the right time yet. She will wait for the right moment to say them to Huo Yuhao.
"Yes, sort of," Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered slightly, nodding slightly.
Witnessing him take the divinity fragment, Lan Fuzi's choices were limited, tell others, act alone, or stay still...
The current result wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad either.